EVITA:
THE COMPLETE MOTION PICTURE MUSIC SOUNDTRACK - 1996
Disc One
1. A Cinema In Buenos Aires, 26 July 1952
2. Requiem For Evita*
3.Oh What A Circus*
4. On This Night Of A Thousand Stars*
5. Eva And Magaldi/Eva Beware Of The City*
6. Buenos Aires*
7. Another Suitcase In Another Hall*
8. Goodnight And Thank You*
9. The Lady's Got Potential
10. Charity Concert/The Art Of The Possible
11. I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You*
12. Hello And Goodbye
13. Peron's Latest Flame*
14. A New Argentina*
Disc Two
1. On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada 1
2. Don't Cry For Me Argentina*
3. On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada 2
4. High Flying Adored*
5. Rainbow High*
6. Rainbow Tour
7. The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (You'd Like To Hear)
8. And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)*
9. Partido Feminista
10. She Is A Diamond*
11. Santa Evita
12. Waltz For eva And Che*
13. Your Little Body's Slowly Breaking Down
14. You Must Love Me*
15. Eva's Final Broadcast
16. Latin Chant
17. Lament
Produced by Nigel Wright, Alan Parker, Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Caddick
The complete musical selection from Evita (minus a few orchestrations), this 2 cd set is packed with the beautiful music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the lyrics of Tim Ryce. Madonna took vocal lessons to do the score justice and it paid off hugely. A stronger voice than ever before aids Madonna in new highlights like You Must Love Me, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and Anther Suitcase In Another Hall. She’s never sounded better and the final tracks showcase her acting even when you can’t see her. A must see and must hear film that sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
Disc One
A Cinema In Buenos Aires, 26 July 1952 - A movie is interupted by the tragic news of Eva Peron's death.
Requiem For Evita - Flashback's show Eva's Father's funeral as a latin chorus sings.
Oh What A Circus - A simple melody introduces us to Che and his cynical views of Eca, whom he sees as a star when the country needed a government. Madonna's first vocals on the album come in the last verse: a quiet, modest claim that she doesn't deserve such attention.
On This Night Of A Thousand Stars - Jimmy Nail as Magaldi, the tango singer with limited talents, performs this song in a tiny bar as Eva, his young lover, watches.
Eva And Magaldi/Eva Beware Of The City - Eva attempts to convince Magaldi to take her to the big city with him. He refuses, until he is threatened with the disclosure of his underage conquest (Eva) to the newspapers, and Eva slings the acid lines at him: "I've played your silly games all right, didn't I/I already know what cooks/How the dirty city feels and looks/I tasted it last night, didn't I".
Buenos Aires - Eva ecstatically arrives in the city and announces she's here to stay. Originally intended to be the final release from the soundtrack, it was halted and the remixes were released for promo only and the song reached #3 in club play. Despite strong vocals throughout, Madonna uncharacteristically holds back on the "Stand back!" lines, deflating an otherwise fun, high-energy song. A video of movie clips was assembled and received little airplay.
Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Eva discovers Magaldi's family and is left on her own. A lonely, sometimes hopeless ballad that would be right at home on BEDTIME STORIES with a little remixing. In the stage version, this song belonged to Peron's young mistress, but it fits Eva perfectly and was a #7 hit for Madonna in the UK, where a clip video went into rotation.
Goodnight And Thank You - A funny, vibrant number has Eva discovering that she can trade her older man for a more powerful one and climb the social ladder. Antonio Banderas and Madonna share this great treat; their first real duet.
The Lady's Got Potential - A rock song explaining Argentinean politics? Who da thunk? This track by Banderas introduces us to Juan Peron (Johnathan Pryce).
Charity Concert/The Art Of The Possible - Magaldi sings On This Night.. again and encounters Eva with yet another new man. Eva: "Your act hasn't changed much." Magaldi: "Neither has yours." Ouch!
I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You - A lovely, conniving song that describes Eva and Peron's mutual attraction to being with and using each other; right at their very first meeting. A match made in political heaven.
Hello And Goodbye - Eca unceremoniously throws Peron's mistress out on the street as an unaffected Peron watches. And the insults keep flying: Eva to Peron: "You must be going through some adolescent phase."
Peron's Latest Flame - The army and upper class are not impressed with Eva ("Her only good parts are between her thighs/She should stare at the ceiling not reach for the skies/Or she could be his last whore") and Eva makes her plans to help her descomisados public.
A New Argentina - Peron is arrested and Eva rallies the people to demand his freedom in this rousing highlight with hordes of people and Madonna's powerful vocals as she calls for the freedom of the man she has come to love. He is freed and elected.
Disc Two
On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada 1 - Peron's powerful victory speach isn't enough, as the crowd demands to hear Eva.
Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Madonna's brilliant interpretation of the classic song is a sweet message to her loyal followers, confessing her love for them and her sincere wish that they return that love. A career highpoint, a latin-flavoured dance mix was the second single and reached #8 in the US, #3 in the UK and was #1 for 6 weeks in Canada. It reached these chart numbers despite the fact that the single was the first of many to be hugely mishandled by Warner Bros. The remixes were only released long after the song peaked in airplay and even then only after Warner realized that people really wanted the remixes that had been shipped to radio and clubs. A version with a Spanish chorus was also released, but the original is the best, with its sweeping orchestrations and vocals that give you chills. A video taken directly from the film got light rotation on MTV and VH1.
On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada 2 - The crowd wants more Evita and she gives it to them in her best speach, promising that the class system is through and that all the riches of Argentina will be shared. Madonna makes you believe that it will happen, too.
High Flying Adored - Che comments on Eva's sudden fame and warns her of the dangers of such a meteoric rise. It also offers a perfect description of Madonna in the eyes of her fans :"A cross between a fantasy of the bedroom and a saint", and with a little extrapolation, Madonna's modest quote that she rode the MTV wave to fame is summed up with a typically proud quote: "I was stuck in the right place at the perfect time/Filled a gap I was lucky/But one thing that I'll say for me/No one else can fill it like I can". No argument there.
Rainbow High - Eva plays dress up to show off her style and plans to go to Europe to dazzle them too. Some strong vocals and a great attitude.
Rainbow Tour - An analysis of different country's reactions to Eva's visit. It finishes with a charming debate over the success of the tour. The verdict: a tentative yes.
The Actress Hasn't Learned The Lines (You'd Like To Hear) - Eva begins to fall ill and adresses the upper classes dislike for her: "She won't be president of your wonderful societies of philanthropy/Even if you asked her to be" with a bitter, cold finish: "As you should have asked her to be".jdfaskl
And The Money Kept Rolling In (And Out) - Eva's foundation helps the poor and skims a little money for itself in this spirited number by Banderas.
Partido Feminista - Eva gives another breathtaking speach, this time to the women who have recently won the right to vote.
She Is A Diamond - Peron defends his wife’s desire to become vice president pointing out that "She’s the one whose kept us where we are". The chilly reply: "She’s the one whose kept you where you are."
Santa Evita - A children’s choir sings of its love for Evita.
Waltz For Eva And Che - Eva passes out at communion and Che is beaten by the army and as they float into and out of consciousness this beautifully staged and orchestrated waltz where Eva laments her loss of strength and Che attacks her political strategies for being corrupt. One of the best songs on the album.
Your Little Body's Slowly Breaking Down - Juan Peron tearfully informs his wife that she is duing. Eva remains proud and defiant "Have you ever seen me defeated/Don’t you forget what I’ve been through and yet/I’m still standing." A moving song of loss and love performed live in the film.
You Must Love Me - The one new song written for the film is this simple, elegant ballad that won the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Original Song. It reached #18 in the US, but it still sold as many copies as Take A Bow, showing unusual staying power on the sales charts. It went top 10 in the UK and reached #2 in Canada. The cello, piano and Madonna’s voice blend perfectly in this song where Eva (and Madonna) demand that we love them for their vulnerability. Alan Parker directed the video consisting of clips and new footage of Madonna singing behind a piano (craftily hiding her seventh month of pregnancy). She looks stunning and the video is gorgeous in its simplicity.
Eva's Final Broadcast - Evita speaks to her people for the final time. She tearfully refuses the vice presidency and there’s not a dry eye in the house, even when just listening to the soundtrack. Now that’s acting!
Latin Chant - A prayer performed by the masses for Evita holding a candlelight vigil outside her window.
Lament - Eva, in her final moments, acknowledges her life and mourns the loss of it. "How I lived/How they shone/But how soon the lights/Were gone". The final funeral bells perfectly end the movie and the album. A stunning achievement.
* - These songs are contained on a one disc set entitled EVITA: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE
Go Ahead To RAY OF LIGHT - 1998
Go Back To SOMETHING TO REMEMBER - 1995
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